In a storage area network (SAN), a SAN management application monitors and manages manageable entities in the SAN. A management server executes the SAN management application. The management server is responsive to a console having a graphical user interface (GUI) for receiving and displaying operator parameters with a SAN operator. The management application employs a database for storage of various tables including both user data and administrative data. The administrative data includes various operating parameters, and affords substantial control over the database. Further, the database is typically managed by a separate application, or database management system, produced by a third party commercial vendor. Database usage is therefore integrated with the SAN management application by way of a database engine specialized and optimized for use with the SAN management application.
The database engine, therefore, is licensed and bundled with the SAN management application. The database engine provides administrative services and operations, such as access control, organization, and indexing, to name several. In particular, the database safeguards the data by a mechanism of login access control and corresponding account, each having privileges to access particular portions of the database. In particular, access to administrative data is limited and safeguarded in order to maintain the specific scope and optimization of the specialized database engine for use with the SAN management application. Account access is typically provided by password authentication. In an integrated software environment, such as the database engine integrated with the SAN management application, SAN management applications performs logins into the database via the database engine to access parts of the database appropriate to the particular executable object or application within the SAN management application. The SAN management application obtains a password expected by the database engine. Such passwords may be stored in various locations, such as files or tables, known to the SAN management application, to enable password authentication and database access (login) via a database engine account.